The number of Lithuanian citizens travelling to Belarus has dropped by a factor of five over the last two years, the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) said on Monday.
Lithuanian citizens made 10,000 trips to the neighbouring country in August, down from 33,000 a year ago and 50,000 two years ago, it said in a press release.
VSAT data shows that Lithuanian citizens crossed the border into Belarus 10,020 times through border checkpoints last month. Some made more than one trip, as the number of so-called unique departures was 7,358.
In April 2022, Belarus introduced a visa-free travel regime for Lithuanian citizens, leading to an increase in travel to the neighbouring country, particularly among residents of border regions.
Subsequently, the Lithuanian government closed four out of six checkpoints on the Belarus border.
The overall number of trips by Lithuanian citizens to Belarus began to decline after reaching a peak of 56,048 in July 2022.
For instance, 16,930 crossings were recorded in December 2023, down from 36,379 in January of that year.
The number fell to just 8,903 last March this year, down from 20,174 in February.
“The major turning point came in March this year when Lithuania closed two more international border checkpoints with Belarus, Raigardas and Lavoriškės, following the closure of the Tverečius and Šumskas checkpoints in August 2023,” the VSAT said in the press release.
Intelligence agencies have cautioned that Lithuanian citizens can be targeted by Belarusian intelligence services while visiting the neighbouring country.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
